Machine for inserting supplements into folded signatures



Mgrch 7, 1939. E. OPPI IGER 2,149,462

MACHINE FOR INSERTING SUPPLEMENTS INTO FOLDED SIGNATURES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2, 19 37 1 7'29; 7'-

March 7, 1939. OPPLIGER 2,14%462 MACHINE FOR IN$ERTING SUPPLEMENTS INTO FOLDED SIGNATURES 7 'Filed June 2, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 7, 1939. E. OPPLIGER 2,149,462

MACHINE FOR INSERTING SUPPLEMENTS INTO FOLDED SlIGNATURES I Filed June 2, 1957 3 sneaks-sheet 3 INVENTOR ERNST O PPL I'G'ER Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE MACHINE FOR INSERTING SUPPLEMENTS INTO FOLDED SIGNATURES pany of Switzerland Application June 2, 1937, Serial No. 146,035 In Switzerland June 2, 1936 6 Claims.

There are already devices and machines known in which folded signatures and supplements are united by enclosing one into the other to form one single paper. In most of such devices knives or fingers are inserted which combined with needles open the folded signature to permit the introducing of the supplement. All these existing devices limit themselves to the introducing of supplements into printed sheets, which are closed on one longitudinal and on one cross edge (Fig. 5) in the same form as the daily papers show, when they leave the rotary press. Since the opening process of such a signature may be effected in a relatively simple way due to the closed sheet edge and due to the surface of good attack given thereby these enclosing machines being limited to the opening of a folded newspaper found a very rapid reception by the print ers. But if the question is to insert supplements, loose sheets and the like intoa signature having only one fold on one of its longitudinal edges (Fig. 6) the cited enclosing machines and devices can no more be used. For this reason the use of such machines was limited to the enclosing of supplements into newspapers and into signatures of the first mentioned kind. But since an illustrated paper, owing to the enormous time taken for preparing the type plates, be it for hollow impression or type impression, cannot be issued at one time to its whole extent, in most cases one part only of it will be printed in advance as a supplement paper and the other actual part will be printed at the end as the main paper. Also in rotary hollow printing machines which in spite of their aptness for illustrated impression rarely permit to carry through the printing of all parts of an illustrated paper of a certain desired extent at one time, it becomes necessary to separate the impression of the paper in that of a supplement and that of a main paper.

In both cases it becomes necessary to unite the main paper and the supplement to a whole by enclosing the one into the other. But since the illustrated paper and periodicals consist almost without exception in groups of sheets or signatures which are open along one longitudinal edge and along two cross edges the enclosing had to be done up to this time by hand. In this process .it is necessary in order to permit the enclosure of a supplementbe it a group of sheets or a loose leaf-to open the leaves of the outer signature into which the supplement should be inserted by lifting off the single sheets up to the middle of the outer signature. The opening of the single sheets is therefore different from the opening of signatures having a closed edge in that the leaves of the signature must be lifted off singly and one after the other, while in a newspaper comprising a signature having a closed cross edge an easy taking hold of the closed cross edge is possible. For this reason it was up to date difficult to find an enclosing machine operating in a practical manner the lifting off of single leaves to any extent up to the middle or up to any spot of the sheet and the enclosing of the supplement without any manual labour.

The object of the present invention is a machine for inserting supplements into folded signatures and in which the supplements are carried mechanically along a path. This machine is characterized in that the sucking members for the opening of the signatures are connected-with means imparting to the same a reciprocating movement the speed of which corresponds with the feeding rate of the signatures.

The annexed drawings represent one embodiment of the subject of the invention. There is Fig. 1 a longitudinal side view of the machine,

Fig. 2 a side view of the machine,

Fig. 3 a front View of a sucking device,

Fig. 4 a side view of the sucking device,

Fig. 5 a view of a folded signature closed at one of its longitudinal and one of its cross edges, and

Fig. 6 a view of a folded signature closed only at one of its longitudinal edges.

Fig. 7 is a View taken from a machine put into execution to show the possibility of adjusting the sucking device according to the size of the signatures, while Figs. 1 to 6 are only diagrammatical drawings.

The feeding of the signatures is operated in a known manner by an inserting device I and a feed table 3 disposed perpendicularly to the same. The table is inclined in its cross direction. The signatures 4a, 4b, 40, etc., into which a supplement 5 has to be inserted by a second inserting device 2 are conveyed over the feed table 3 by means of two wedge belts 8 moved at the same speed and in the same direction the folded edges 6 (Fig. 6) of the signatures gliding along the guiding ledge l. The inserting of the signatures between the conveying belt 8 is effected by means of a reciprocated cam 3a compulsorily cooperating with the inserting roller of the device I. In order. to have the signatures following each other at short intervals 9 and to increase the output of the machine the inserting speed compared to the speed of the feed is chosen occurringwithout disturbance the delivery path.

of the device I is slightly at a higher level than the path of the feed table.

The lifting off of the single leaves of a sheet;

like that of Fig. 6 is effected by sucking members H (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) attached'by means of hose like members Ila to a vacuum vessel; These members take hold of and liftthe'single leaves at l2 (Fig. 6) near the. open edge of the'i As compared to other known devices signature. for lifting oif paper leaves by suction the device shown in Figs. 3 and 4 differs in that thesuctio-n members ll follow the signatures during the sucking action at the same speed. By this arrangement the sucking off of the single leaves may be secured without fail even at the highest speed of the signatures. One-half of the single leaves: of the signature must be opened for inserting, the supplement that is to say the number of the. required sucking members must be equalto half the number of the single leaves formingthe signature. There are needed therefore 4 sucking members for a signature having 16 pages and 8 sucking members for a signature of 32 pages but only 3 for a signature having 12 pages. If there are more sucking members than are needed for a signature the surplus may be put out of action.

The Figs. 3 and 4 show such a sucking device.

A lever 18 pivoted to an axis 19 is engaged with a. pin l8- into aclosed helicoidal ,groove of a roller I1 fast to a motor driven shaft 30. A carrier 2!] slidably arranged on a rod 22 parallel to the feed table'and provided at the upper end of lever i8 carries the sucking member II. This member may be rotated about a shaft 2| held by the carrier 26. An arm 23 fast to shaft 2! bears by means of a roller 24 and under the effect of a spring 21 on the templet edge of a bar 25. When roller I! isrotated lever i8 and the carrier will be reciproc-ated. Roller 24 following the undulationsof the bar 25 effects the oscillating of arm 23 and shaft 2|. The carrier 20'isrecessed at 28 so as to leave shaft 2i free to carry. Thereby the member II will besaid arm 23. oscillated according tothe oscillation of the shaft 2| and the leaf will be lifted off. By setting;

astop 26 theoscillating movement may be limited at wish. This stop 26' comprises two arms pivoted to shaft 2|.

side each other like scissorsand may be fixed at Said arms are guided alongby the rail, will. be openedstill more and be kept:

in this position. until the signature will have reached the end of the guide rail. As. seen from- Fig. 1 every sucking device H has lifted'aleafand'keeps the lifted:leaf-ccmpulsorily lifted up,- ;,so-=tl1atthe signatures when arriving before the inserting device 2 are opened to the desired amount of leaves.

Then the supplement 5 which may be a single sheet or a signature will be inserted by the device 2. The speed of the inserting device I, of the conveying belts 8 and the. inserting device 2 are such, that. signature and supplement arrive simultaneously at the crossing [5 of the two paths. The direction of delivery of the now complete newspaper is perpendicular to the feed table as a continuationof thedirection of the admission of the supplement 5. Since the signature 46 enters at the crossing of the two paths before the preceding signature 16 has left, an overlapping of these signatures takes place as has been at the entrance of the path. At the same time the supplement 5- will be inserted into the signature 4e.

A transport roller not shown in Fig. 1 having a considerable higher speed than the belt 8 withdraws thesignature l6 having the supplement inserted thereto from the path. A rail not shown underneath which the signature is conveyed effects the immediate closing of'said'signature, so that'the mentioned overlapping of the. signatures goes on without disturbance. To assure a safe nesting the end of the path is located at a lower level than the rest.

The guide rail I l and the rod'ZZ carrying the sucking members Il may be made adjustable, crosswise to the guide path, by a simple displacing ofthis path side-ways with a view of adapting the machine to different sizes of papers. To this end the shafts l9 are held in a longitudinal beam i3 which is arranged adjustable crosswise to dge 1.

Of course by a suitable arrangement ofseveral insertingdevices and a sufficient number of sucking devices two or more supplements could be inserted into one signature. Itis also possible according to'the described manner of operating to provide signatures in the shape of newspapers 'or catalogues having a closed cross edge with sup,- plements'by bringing the signatures having the closed' cross edge ahead into the guide path.

Then only at'the beginning of'the'guide rail l4 a sucking device must be provided for lifting the closed edge.

The upper half of the signature'after the lifting will then glide over thewhole length of the guide rail" M." The feeding andinserting is effected as "has beendescribed in the above.

The inserting device may also'be'provided with a'fol'dingand sewing or tacking device for folding'the signatures provided with supplements or for sewing the same. According to Fig. '7 beam may be adjusted crosswise to ledge 1 by means of two screws 29'journalled on the feed table and provided at the two ends of 'said beam. Both screws carry chain wheels 3| connected by a chain to assure a parallel displacement of said beam. Guide rail I4 is attached by-a bracket 32 to the. feed table and can be displaced thereon according to need.

Havingnow particularly. described and ascertainedfthe nature of my said'inventionand in whatmanner the same is to be-"performed-I declarewwhatxliclaim is:

1. In .a'machine for inserting supplements into folded Tsi'gnatures the combination, a'feed table having ianiinclined guide p-ath for the signatures; a guiding ledge adapted to receive the-lower edges of the". signatures, a firstinserting device at one end'foft said guide: path adapted to feed the" signatures-"tactile feedatable, arsecon'd inserting device. at the other end of the feed table adapted to insert the supplements into the opened signatures, a rod (22) arranged parallel to and near the upper edge of said guide path, a file of spaced sucking members slidingly arranged on said rod the number of these sucking members corresponding to the number of leaves to be opened, means to impart a reciprocating and a lifting movement to said sucking members to lift the single leaves of the signatures at their forward edges, stationary guide rails arranged parallel to the signatures and held in the path of said lifted edges and adapted to maintain the leaves lifted up until the supplement has been nested into the signature, and conveying belts for the signatures and means adapted to push the fed signatures within reach of these belts.

2. In a machine according to claim 1, and in combination means adapted to impart to reciprocating sucking members during their sucking a speed equal to that of the moving signatures.

3. In a machine according to claim 1 and in combination means adapted to limit the reciprocating movement of the sucking member.

4. In a machine according to claim 1 and in combination a friction roller mounted to said sucking member, and a stationary bar with templet edge adapted to guide said roller when lifting a leaf.

5. In a machine according to claim 1 and in combination, means permitting adjusting the sucking members and means moving and guiding the same according to the size .of the signatures.

6. In a machine according to claim 1 andin combination, means permitting adjusting the stationary guide rail for the lifted leaves according to the size of the signatures.

ERNST OPPLIGER. 

